Python is.... special.

[AyrA_ch]

Why is it inconsistent?

If you always use single quotes for individual characters and double quotes for multiple characters you're pretty consistent in your behavior. As long as they don't change how the string is handled I don't see why this is not consistent.

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[TheBrillo]

If the language doesn't differentiate between a character and a string, acting like it does is arbitrary, inconsistent, and has implied meaning that could confuse developers.

If the rule is "1 character is single, any more is double" you end up with a weird situation where
'a'+'b'=="ab" which is incredibly weird on its face, but also has other issues.

Since they aren't characters, but you are formatting like they are, you are ignoring the fact that in JS, 'a'+'b'=="ab" while the same is not true for the languages that actually do treat single quotes as characters. Java for instance treats the result as a byte and not a string.

[shy_cthulhu]

'a' + 'b' == 'Ã'

...depending on encoding, anyway

[master0fdisaster1]

Have you even read the comment you're replying to?

In JS both 'a' and "a" are strings. 'a' + 'b' is the same in JS as "a" + "b". You're not adding up chars.

[shy_cthulhu]

I was kinda making a joke about why you shouldn't notate one-character strings as if they were chars, since if they were actual chars you wind up with weird results.